Eating vegan in Melbourne

Before moving to Melbourne I really thought it was easy eating vegan in Glasgow. It’s supposedly the vegan capital of the UK. The haven for all British vegans where they’ve got plenty of options and places to eat in. Having lived in Melbourne for over two months now I can tell you I’m mindblown at how much there is to choose from and how easy it is to eat vegan here.

First of all, there are so many vegan eateries I feel like I’ll be able to go to a new place every time and never run out of new places to try. They’re everywhere and I feel like there are specialised vegan place for every cuisine you could think of Italian, Thai, Lebanese, Mexican, Japanese… You name it I’m pretty sure there’d be a place for it somewhere here in Melbourne. There are even vegan delis, bakeries and ice cream shops. Then there are all the healthy eateries and brunch places too. The Maddie places hehe. Not only are there loads of them but their menus are like no other I’ve ever seen before. They’re interesting, fun and different. I love when you can go out and have something you perhaps wouldn’t make at home because it requires a bit more effort than you would like to make.

Secondly, even the “normal” restaurants and cafes nearly always have vegan options. Last week I went for dinner with everyone at my work so I could meet them before I started. We went for Italian and I knew most likely there would be something there I can eat. I looked at the menu and the only thing at first glance on the menu, which was vegan was a quinoa salad. A bit boring and something I have very often. I thought, even though I’m not a massive pizza fan, that would be a bit more exciting than a salad so I was going to order one without cheese. I spoke to the waiter when it was my turn to order and asked what my options were. He replied saying they even had vegan cheese for the pizza so just choose what I’d like on it and that would be easily sorted. How good is that? Just your little Italian joint on the corner has vegan pizza options at the ready. I was pretty amazed by that.

I now no longer have to face the dilemma or ordering something boring just because it happens to be meat and dairy free. I no longer have to feel like I’m missing out and I don’t have to feel like I’m inconveniencing the restaurant. Again, if I really wanted to have a dish with dairy or a dish with some fish or seafood I’d have it but I don’t feel the craving at all for it and feel very at peace with how I’m eating now. About 98/99% vegan most of the time and I will probably never call myself vegan. I don’t want to be defined by a label. The same way I don’t really call myself a Crossfitter, I train Crossfit but it doesn’t define me.

Anyway, I’m slowly working my way through the eateries around the area and during the weekend Mich and I took all over dogs to Kin Corner Store in Cheltenham. A relatively new vegan café Mich came across on Facebook and we’ve been talking about going for a while.

The menu was quite small but with a couple of tasty sounding options. We both went for the falafel and asked for bread on the side because we were starving. I also had a turmeric latte (loving that there is always an exciting option for us non-coffee drinkers everywhere). Then our food came out and it looked lovely. The first thing both Mich and I noticed was that it was a bit on the small side. Definitely not something that would fill a super hungry Maddie haha. We devoured our food. It was delicious the dish. I actually ended up asking for another slice of bread which we shared. I could’ve had about double or triple the size of that dish but it was tasty!

Yesterday Mim finally arrived back from her travels in Canada and I can’t tell you how good it was to see her face! I was squealing when I got in the car to hug her. We went for a class at Red Bluff and then had Thai food afterwards. There was so much to talk about that we were chatting non-stop until she had to head home to get ready for a festival she’s going to today. So now she’s away again for a couple of days. Her and I are now officially looking for a flat together, which is super exciting! It would be amazing if we could live together. I can’t wait to finally have a more permanent living situation. Moving around all the time gets tiring! I don’t think I’m quite made for the nomadic life but whilst it’s still happening I’m going to just make the most of it.

Today is my last day in the house before Perry’s family is back! Time to get packing and I also want to give the place a little tidy up before they arrive back. Three weeks have gone by so quickly and a lot has happened in that time.